11 independent reviews for Luxury Greek Island vacation
Reviews for Luxury Greek Island vacation
Linda Plummer review 23 Sep 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Impossible to choose one thing! The setting is gorgeous; the family are kindness personified; beautiful natural sights; delicious food2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be prepared to use the car provided or have a degree of fitness to tackle walks involving ascents & descents.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, yes and yes! Run by a family who live locally; local restaurants & shops recommended; the whole ethos of the estate is harmony with nature, organic foods & products.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Absolutely brilliant!Elizabeth Liddiard review 6 Aug 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The beauty of the estate, especially the forest yoga and swimming pool. We also loved the snorkelling from the beaches around.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Relax and rely on the team at Levendis to suggest lovely things to do and places to eat!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It benefited local people and it was lovely to feel so welcome.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent. Very relaxing and a lot of fun.Ruth McGill review 21 Jul 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
There are so many things to choose from but hiring a boat and swimming into small coves and taking a trip up to the mountain village of Exoghi and having dinner here are highlights. The first day at the beautiful pool with its amazing view over the bay is a brilliant family memory too.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
In addition to hiring a boat and going to Exoghi I would recommend nearby Polis beach for the family and a trip to the old village of Anogi. The owners are so welcoming and friendly - they are a great source of advice. The breakfasts are absolutely fantastic and it's great to chat to Kate at the cafe and get her insights. She offers the perfect kind of customer service that is truly responsive to different guests without being intrusive. We turned to her for advice whilst there and her ideas made our vacation. I was also lucky enough to be there when the yoga instructor Donna arrived for the summer and attended two classes with her which were amazing. Great yoga that was adapted for the heat and in a beautiful setting in the forest.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We used local restaurants and businesses the whole time that we were there - some in remoter areas that were heavily dependent on income from visitors.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We had an amazing vacation. It's a beautiful peaceful setting that also offers so many things to do. The customer care from the owners is exceptional and it makes for a secure and happy vacation with lots of fun. The combination of setting, food, service and amazing things to do on beautiful Ithaca made it the best family vacation that we've ever had.Jane-Anne SHAW review 21 Jun 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
In early June, a classical Greek xenia (guest-friendship) welcomed us to northern Ithaka (Itháki). It was astounding to discover just how much the increasingly dissonant tinnitus of modern existence invades our lives. No radio or television impinged here, nor did Broadband or wifi. Aside from the sound of waves on the pebble beaches of Aphales Bay below, and a chorus of birdsong, all was as peaceful as a monastery. We were lucky to have the estate to ourselves, and life was reduced to simple levels: eat, sleep, swim, read. Repeat. It felt as if we’d travelled more than fifty years back in time. I loved it . The estate's services provided for its guests are second to none, and while I don't practise yoga, I will remember Ithaka's blue and gold colours of noon, its hot sun, cool sea, and the silver-green of the olive orchards, lovely Greek food –- and an estate cat named Hiro, with a camouflage coat that exactly matches Ithaka's stony terrain and the chiaroscuro of light and shade.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Submerge yourself in Ithaka's atmosphere. Leave the electronics at home, and value the island experience. Divided from its much larger neighbour, Kephallonia (where the hordes of tourist flights pile in), Ithaka's not merely a place, it's a state of mind, an escape from the noise of a too-busy world -- a rare privilege on our crowded globe. As yet, very little tourist development mars the rugged terrain of the interior. A car is necessary if you wish to travel the island. We were supplied with a small hired Hyundai for the 5 of us: a sensible size for Ithaka's narrow twisty mountain roads. There are assorted villages and destinations, several coves and beaches -- and lots of goats.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
All three were moderately visible. There's the wider visitor benefit to local businesses and people, but on the estate the considerably-reduced impact on the environment and their support for conservation is much in evidence. The air was clean and clear as the water of Homer's Kalamos spring, and astringent with forest pine in the mornings. Even simple walks down to the infinity pool or the beach were punctuated with sightings of wildlife - there were birds and butterflies, bees and the scurrying green and brown lizards everywhere.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Five stars. We were fortunate to visit in early June, ahead of the high summer heat, and before the tragic fires ravaged Greece.Claire Peplow review 6 Jun 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Beautiful setting, comfortable lodging including hammock, fantastic pool and food, welcoming hosts and all transfers arranged for us to take away any hassle.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
We had very hot weather so take plenty of suncream and suitable clothing3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Provided income to local businesses. Pool was a salt water pool.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent - highly recommendVladimir Gorelov review 17 May 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Everything2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
No particular tips3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very goodKatie Wheatley review 18 Jul 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
We have lots of lovely memories so it is difficult to single any one thing out. But as we have to choose we would say the beautiful views gardens pool and the charming cottages which provide a wonderful environment in which to relax and also the great welcome and inobtrusive support of the family who built, own and run the estate. Ithaca is a beautiful island with a landscape that tells a rich history so there are lots of interesting things to do and see quite easily. However the beauty of the estate and a couple of local beaches meant there was no need to go very far at all to make the most of our stay.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
The breakfasts and roast peppers are not to be missed!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, the estate belongs to local people who also work there, and it is an organically farmed estate. It was very hot for a couple of days while we were there but the cottages are so well designed and built there is no need for any air con.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
ExcellentBryan Parker review 22 Sep 2018
Our stay was a unique & happy experience, unlike any previous vacation. While it can be a challenge to get there, the effort is repaid abundantly. It’s an eco-chic vacation in a cottage where everything can be taken care of, according to one’s wishes. One returns refreshed in mind & body. First, the location. An island where Nature reigns supreme… olive trees, a rich & varied vegetation, crystal-clear seas, pure air, beautiful scenery. Taking advantage of this rich environment, Spero & Mal have created four cottages beautifully integrated & terraced on multiple levels, all overlooking the sea where one can hear the waves softly lapping the shore, the birds singing, the cock crowing & just pure innocent silence. Second, the people. Spero & Mal have single-mindedly pursued their joint philosophy of creating a space that takes advantage of the natural environment responsibly & that takes care of every individual need. Specifically, they offer local ecologically produced fruit, vegetables & meat, personal care products & every cottage comes with a small car included with descriptive brochures about the island. One very quickly gets settled in & forms easy relationships with the other guests. Two uniques features are the open-air cinema for guests & the massage parlour lost somewhere in the woods close-by. The swimming-pool is magnificent. Third, the island. Simply a great place to be in September. On the roads, no traffic… 3 cars about every km covered. The people very friendly & relaxed. Restaurants close-by on the sea-front offering fresh fish every day with a friendly service. English spoken almost everywhere. Finally, the most powerful endorsement has to be that the other guests were regulars in so far as they were all on their umpteenth visit to the accommodation happy to note how the place had evolved over time. GigiChris Kearney review 11 Jul 2017
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Rarely would I answer 'the accommodation' to this question, however this place is so beautiful and peaceful that my favorite memories of the vacation are just of being in the estate itself. Birds, bats, bees, lizards, pine martens, countless types of flowers and olive, eucalyptus and cypress trees blend in with the traditional style houses. We loved the walks around the forest, swimming in the amazing pool, cooking with fresh veg from Mal's garden, watching the bats at night, reading books in the hammock or just staring at the bay below our house. I could have spent the entire 10 days happily without leaving the estate at all.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Stay as long as you can. Vacationing here is all about switching off, forgetting your everyday life and escaping normality and the real world for a while. I haven't slept this well in a long time, our concentration levels rose and everything felt so fresh and healthy. The immersion in natural surroundings is undoubtedly the reason for all of that.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, local people benefit economically in various capacities from visitors here. Tourism is hugely important for Greece at the moment, for every 30 visitors to the country a job is created, so economically tourism is vital. Seemingly nearly all of the produce in the meals is sourced locally or indeed grown on the estate itself, as are the home-made sun creams and toiletries. Environmentally, this vacation undoubtedly benefits the local ecology. The estate here is hugely bio-diverse and I'm fairly sure that wouldn't be the case if it weren't for the beautiful natural gardens that Mal has created and maintained. It really is a haven for wildlife.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Genuinely perfect, I can't think of a single thing that we wanted for. Mal and Spero are fantastic hosts, I really hope we get to spend time with you both again somehow!Susan Purnell review 30 Aug 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Beautiful location for accommodation and Ithica is an idillic island. Wonderful little harbour villages and friendly people if you have a car its great to travel to all the little beaches.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Make sure you have a car and you can travel to all the little beaches and coves. Try hiring a little boat to discover the beaches that can only be reached by boat. Take beach shoes and the beaches are pebbly.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Our vacation definitely benefitted the local people. All our food was locally sourced. We ate in local restaurants no corporates involved at all, so refreshing. Food on the estate was from their garden and the little farm was greatly appreciated by the children.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
This was a wonderful vacation which far exceeded our expectations. The Estate was such a tranquil and beautiful place and Mal and Spero were the most wonderful hosts and made us so welcome, we felt like part of their family. We loved their little coffee shop and they couldn't have been more helpful. All the special touches like the welcoming free breakfast and bottle of wine set us up for a perfect vacation. The estate is idilic and the pool area just perfect with wonderful views. The cottages were lovely and had two verandas from which to eat a tranquil breakfast and could read and chill throughout the dayAlison Brookes Day review 22 Jun 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The location of the accommodation, our home for the next few weeks was simply stunning. The gardens lovingly tended to by the owners Marilyn and Spero, provide a perfect relaxing haven to unwind. The entrance to our cottage was awash with wisteria and the fragrance of white jasmine filled the air. Spotting a Pine Martin one evening was really exciting for all of us! The place is awash with all kinds of wildlife, green lizards, giant centipedes, and birdlife galore. A very exciting playground for adults and children alike. However it is the hosts Marilyn, Spero and family who made this vacation so special and memorable. We really enjoyed our 'coffee morning' chats and were made to feel like one of the family.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
If you enjoy having whole beaches to yourself, swimming in crystal clear waters with perfect air temperatures, then May is the month for you to visit the beautiful island of Ithaca. We really enjoyed escaping the hubbub and the average temperature of around 24C was perfect for our 4 year old. Definitely order a home cooked meal for your arrival. You will find it cooking slowly away in your oven on your arrival. Our stuffed peppers and tomatoes were delicious and provided us with lunch the next day, with more to spare!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Most definitely. We ate in local cafes and restaurants. We shopped locally for daily provisions. At our accommodation we had a bountiful supply of organic leaves for our salads, all grown in Marilyn's garden. The accommodations have been cleverly built from local materials to keep them cool in the summer months. All food waste is used for compost and paper, glass and plastic is recycled.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Wonderful!Accommodation Reviews
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